Paulo Henrique Costa, also known as “Borrachinha” is a professional mixed martial artist and boxer from Brazil. He is currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and competes in the middleweight division.
He grew up in Contagem, the center of the state of Minas Gerais, where he often got into trouble. At the age of nine, Paulo started learning Muay Thai to discipline himself and avoid street fights.
Getting really good at stand up striking, he decided to join a jiu-jitsu gym as a teenager to learn self defence and improve his ground fighting. He eventually trained under his brother, who was a purple belt at the time. Though Paulo earned a black belt in brazilian jiu-jitsu, he was always known for his striking ability and knockout power.
He made his professional MMA debut in 2012, winning by technical knockout. Prior to joining the UFC, Paulo was the middleweight champion for the Jungle Fight promotion in Brazil. He was undefeated, winning all his fights via TKO or KO.
He made his UFC debut in 2017, at the UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs Gastelum undercard. He won the fight via TKO in the first round, earning his first performance of the night award.
He was undefeated in his MMA career until he lost to Israel Adesanya at UFC 253, for the UFC middleweight championship, in 2020. He then went on to lose his Lightweight debut fight against Marvin Vettori in 2021. A year later, Paulo moved back up to middleweight and beat Luke Rockhold at UFC 278, winning fight of the night.
Paulo Costa Profile
| Date of Birth | 21 April 1991 |
| Height | 1.85m / 6ft 1″ |
| Body Measurements (Chest/Arms/Waist) | 40/ 15/ 38 (inches) |
| Weight | 84kg / 185 lb |
Diet Plan
Paulo Costa follows a pretty strict diet plan, to maintain a healthy weight and stay at his physical best. When he’s preparing for fights he tends to eat in a calorie deficit, to lose weight. He typically has six meals a day, eating in moderation and keeping a calorie count.
As a professional athlete, Paulo’s diet includes a lot of complex carbs, protein and healthy fats. He tries to get all his nutrients from natural foods, but sometimes he does take supplements to help prevent nutrient deficiencies.
Paulo needs to eat a very balanced diet; his food needs to be managed correctly to cope with the physical demand of MMA and make weight. Not eating correctly will hinder his chances of competing at optimal level, as well as negatively impacting his health.
Paulo Costa usually has a very low body fat percentage, at around 10%. His body fat alternates depending on when he’s fighting, but it’s typically low. Less fat allows him to perform at his best, improving his efficiency and striking ability.
He usually avoids fatty foods, especially when he’s preparing for fights. He tries to restrict any food that can affect his performance. When he’s not fighting, he likes to eat more freely without limiting himself.
| Meal 1 | Scrambled eggs with tapioca and coffee |
| Meal 2 | Beetroot juice |
| Meal 3 | Chicken breast with rice, cauliflower and broccoli |
| Meal 4 | Green juice with some grapes |
| Meal 5 | Pork tenderloin, cassava and pumpkin with green salad |
| Meal 6 | Fruit |
Meal 1
For breakfast, Paulo usually has some scrambled eggs with tapioca and a cup of coffee. This is a great breakfast, containing both protein and excellent carb source. It supplies him with plenty of energy for his workouts throughout the day.
Meal 2
Just before his workout, Paulo typically drinks beetroot juice. This provides him with several health benefits as well as improving his stamina for exercises. Beetroot juice is very low in fat and full of powerful antioxidants, providing a lot of important nutrients.
Meal 3
After his morning workout, he eats chicken breast with rice, cauliflower and broccoli. Having a high portion of carbs with some protein is great after his high intensity training sessions, allowing him to re-energize. Cauliflower and broccoli provide him great nutritional value, both being low in fat.
Meal 4
As a snack in the afternoon, he drinks green juice, which is made from lemon, cucumber and cabbage. He also like to have some grapes on the side. Green juice aids weight loss and allows convenient consumption of multiple vitamins and minerals. It also boosts energy levels.
Meal 5
For dinner, he usually eats pork tenderloin with some cassava, pumpkin and green salad. Pork tenderloins are a great source of lean protein, being rich in protein and low in fat. It also has several health benefits and provides the body many different essential vitamins.
Meal 6
Paulo typically likes to eat some fruit at the end of the day. He usually like to go for kiwis, tomatoes, plums and tangerines. Kiwis are his favorite snack before bed, as they help him have great quality sleep. Fruits are very important and provide the body with vital vitamins and minerals.
Supplements
Paulo takes supplements sometimes, especially when he’s preparing for fights. His diet is sometimes restrictive and does not allow him to consume all the required nutrients. Supplements prevent nutrient deficiency and allow him to be more efficient during training.
- Protein powder
- Multivitamins
- Caffeine
Workout Plan
Similar to his diet plan, Paulo Costa has a pretty strict workout plan. When preparing for his fights, he generally trains twice a day, which includes a couple of hours in the morning and an hour in the afternoon.
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His workouts include a lot of exercises targeting muscular endurance to improve his performances, allowing him to stay at his optimal level for longer. He does a lot of high intensity drills, pushing himself to his limits. His desire to be the best drives him and keeps him motivated to achieve his dream.
He also does a lot of strength training and sparring, to improve his power and technique. His training will usually vary from fighter to fighter, to work on exploiting weaknesses and taking advantage.
Strength Training
- Kettlebell swings 3 sets X 10 reps
- Back rows 3 sets X 10 reps
- Alternating dumbbell chest press 3 sets X 10 reps
- Cable bicep curls 3 sets X 10 reps
- Cable rear delt fly 3 sets X 10 reps
- Single leg box step and high knee 3 sets X 10 reps
- Barbell jumping squat 3 sets X 10 reps
- Ball slams (60 seconds)
- Rope slams (60 seconds)
- Rope climb
Cardio
His cardio usually includes some circuit training, targeting different muscles to improve endurance. He performs each exercise for 60 seconds before moving to the next, with no rest. Once he finishes a circuit, he rests for 5-10 minutes before doing it again.
- Dumbbell shadow boxing
- Side to side cartwheel
- Press ups
- Pull ups
- Punching bag
- Kicking bag
- Jumping rope
Abs
- Hanging leg raises 3 sets X 10 reps
- Hanging oblique knee raises 3 sets X 10 reps
- Crunches 3 sets X 15 reps
- Russian twists 3 sets X 10 reps
- Ab roller plank 3 sets X 10 reps
Legs
- Barbell deadlifts 3 sets X 10 reps
- Leg press 3 sets X 12 reps
- Barbell squats 3 sets X 12 reps
- Leg extensions 3 sets X 12 reps
- Calf raises 3 sets X 15 reps
Sparring
He usually spars with different people to test his skills more efficiently, trying to learn and improve on his weaknesses. Each sessions lasts a few hours, depending on the intensity of training on the day.
- Pad punching
- Pad kicking
- Wrestling
- Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
- Takedown defending
Paulo Costa also has a YouTube channel, where he often shares videos from his training camps. He also vlogs and makes reaction videos.
